Sunday, December 31, 2017

I can’t believe it’s the end of 2017 already! At the
beginning of this year, I set out on a self-publishing journey. In March, I
published the first of my novelettes in e-book form, then in September, I
released the entire Last of the Memory Keepers series in print. What fun this has been!

*

For fans of The
Chronicles of Narnia and Paradise
Lost, Last of the Memory Keepers
is a compilation of six sequential stories and one poem. Follow Rhona Farlane
and Ellard Coburn on their adventures to befriend members of other races while
they fight to save their own.

Today I’ll be discussing the point of view (POV) in the
series and the way I strove to resolve any issues that arose with writing in
first person. For those who have not read my series yet, I have done my best to
keep this post spoiler-free.

*Winners for the giveaway have been selected.

Dual Perspective

The first novelette in the series, “The Diplomat’s
Daughter”, is told from the perspective of Rhona Farlane. She’s knows what she
wants out of life and she’s spunky, perhaps a little too much so for a
diplomat-in-training. But she’s determined to follow her apprenticeship through
to the end and unite the peoples of her world.

Notice Rhona’s detailed enthusiasm in the following excerpt:

“Spring of the year 4137, Finley
proposed his most wonderful, foolhardy idea yet. Even at twenty years old, he
was coming up with reckless ideas that would probably get us killed. Naturally,
I supported his idea and Ellard protested. But not much. Not this time. Even as
the pitch black of night in the stable shrouded his face, I could just hear the
smile behind his tense voice.”

—Rhona Farlane, “The Diplomat’s
Daughter” (LMK, vol. 1)

The second novelette, “The Quiet Apprentice”, takes a
different approach, told from the perspective of her friend Ellard Coburn. Like
Rhona, he’s an apprentice to one of the masters of the Memory Keepers, but
unlike her, he’s skittish and gets along better with animals than with people.

Now compare that scene with Ellard’s confusion when his
friends keep interrupting his study session:

“Finley held his hands up, then looked at me. ‘Ellard, can you please help
me change the subject?’

“I couldn’t think of a single interesting thing to say. I was still trying
to wrap my mind around their disagreement. Leave it up to a Memory Restorer [Finley]
to argue about the color of a historical figure’s clothes. I couldn’t even
remember who Zaire was, much less what he’d done.”

—Ellard Coburn, “The Quiet Apprentice” (LMK,
vol. 2)

When it came to writing each perspective, Rhona’s and
Ellard’s, I had to take their backgrounds into consideration. Rhona was raised
by a diplomat, the Master of Deep Memory, and Ellard was raised by a stable
hand and a horse trainer. Rhona comes from a privileged family of
intellectuals, and Ellard comes from a more rural background who had to work
harder to earn his apprenticeship.

A Verbal Account

The main issue I had with writing these stories arose
because I decided to go with first person. After all, how was I supposed to
tell the narrative from the perspective of characters who don’t write their history down? At one point, there’s even
mention of Ellard, my second protagonist, being illiterate. So how is somebody
who can’t even read supposed to write a story?

To resolve this issue, I went with a verbal account instead
of a written one. Because the Memory Keepers have the ability to access the
memories of the trees, they keep their records by speaking to the trees, like
one would write their thoughts in a diary or recite their memories to a
starship’s log in science fiction. As a result, I read each story aloud to my
sister to ensure it flowed well and actually sounded like people might talk.

“The Quite
Apprentice” (LMK, vol. 2) explores the concept of recording memories more so
than the first story. At the end of the novelette (don’t worry, this is not a
spoiler!), Ellard explains that he’s storing his memories in an oak tree. And in
the final volume, a certain character reveals that he listened to each verbal account
and wrote them down for public record.

The Problems with Memory

Memory can be
fleeting. Sometimes, people ignore certain details or remember others
incorrectly. Sometimes people forget things. And as alluded to in “The Memory
Thief,” some people are made to forget.

Last of the Memory Keepers isn’t just a recitation of adventures
written down by a scribe. Like some works of fiction, it’s the narrators who
are putting together the pieces of their stories after they are resolved. Sometimes
the stories may be an exaggeration or a reflection of the past. Sometimes they
leave you wondering what’s real and what’s not.

Any mistakes are
my own, or you can blame it on the troubles with memory. Most of all, this
series—this book—is just a story. I hope you enjoy it.

Giveaway Time!

And now, the
moment you’ve all been waiting for! So I’ve been hosting a lot of giveaways
this month, but I can’t help it. I like my readers! Today I’ll be giving away
two prizes: 1) a signed copy in print and a desert rose; 2) the entire e-book
series (Volumes 1-6). Enter to win one of two prizes below:

Let’s chat! Which
prize sounds more appealing to you? Have you added Last of the Memory Keepers to your To-Be-Read List yet? For those
who have read the first two volumes, whose perspective did you enjoy the most:
Rhona’s or Ellard’s? If you haven’t read any volumes yet, which character
sounds most appealing?

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Welcome
to the latest post on Character Types in fiction. Today, I’m featuring a
post by a guest writer and a dear friend of mine. Please welcome Sarah Fluegel
as she writes about twins and their common tropes in fiction!

There’s
something about twins that’s naturally intriguing to people—something about
their similarities and the way they act around their twin draws people in. A
lot of this curiosity and interest overflows into books and media. Whether they
are identical or fraternal, the same or different genders, the interest exists
whenever twins appear in a story. The thing is, though, that just like any
other character, twins can fall into common tropes. They can even become a
trope themselves. Though interesting to read, these common tropes can become
boring for viewers or readers but oh so easy for the writer to fall into.

The first trope
that often goes along with twins is the overly identical trope; this is when characters
go beyond being biologically identical. This is creepy identical, like the
twins from The Shining identical.
They look, dress, talk, and act exactly the same. They’re so similar that they
might as well be the same person.

Twins who fall in to the
overly identical trope are left with out much character development and gain
most of their interest from the fact that they are twins. Tim and Jim from Kim Possible act almost exactly alike, and
the only thing that really separates them is the color of their shirt. Padma
and Parvati, like Fred and George in the Harry
Potter movies, are even sorted in to the same house and dress in nearly the
same dress for the Yule ball.

The problem that happens
when authors take identical twins to the extreme is that they loose opportunity
to develop character for each individual person. Not that any of the authors
did a horrible job of writing their characters, but it also goes to show how
easily this trope can be fallen into.

The second trope that pops
up a lot in media is the polar opposite twins. They may look alike, but their
personalities are night and day. This can be a good thing, but like the
identical trope, it can easily go wrong. This trope is where when one twin
likes something or does something really well, and the other likes or does the
complete opposite. If one is artsy, then the other plays sports. If one can
sing, the other is tone deaf. Or if one is suave and a romantic, you can bet
the other one can barely even talk to the opposite sex.

In the Sweet life of Zack and Cody, Zach is the “cool”, athletic, ladies’
man while Cody is the nerdy, genius with no skills with the ladies. By playing
into these stereotypes, writers can run the risk of flattening their characters.
Instead of the rich characters that writers hope to create by creating opposite
personalities for their twins, they can become one-dimensional. Their
characteristics can become so reliant on the other person that it doesn’t allow
the character to surprise you.

When you know that one twin
is going to act a certain way and that the other twin will act in the opposite
way, the plot and characters becomes too predictable. You lose a lot of what
makes the characters seem real, that each person is unique, and their interest
don’t always follow the status quo. Now all authors can fall into stereotyping,
but it seems to happen more easily with twins because you have another
character to use the “opposite” traits.

In the end of the major
problems with twins is that authors often forget that they are not writing one
character but two. In my own life, I’ve meet people who just don’t get that
twins aren’t identical in everything. They each have their own brain and
thoughts and experiences that are entirely separate from their “other half.”

Twins aren’t photocopies of
each other and they also aren’t photo negatives of each other. There’s cross
over in interests and in friends. There’s similarities in speech patterns and
mannerisms. But they are each uniquely their own person.

George and Fred from Harry Potter are a good example of twins
that are identical but still stand as their own person. Sure, they may look and
act similar, but enough character development has gone into making them their
own person.

There are also twins that
have the polar opposite personality but still seem like twins. Dipper and Mabel
from Gravity Falls are a good example
of polar opposites who still seem like twins. Dipper is a smart and focused
monster-hunter while Mabel is a sparkle-obsessed, joy filled ball of sunshine.
Throughout the show, they display interest in the other twin’s passion and have
a loyalty that can really only come from being a twin.

My favorite set of twins in
media is Marvel’s Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. When you are first introduced, you
don’t know they’re twins, partially because they are fraternal, partially due
to good writing. They act like twins—truly they do—even though some audiences may
disagree. They don’t wear similar colors or talk in the same way, but they have
a loyalty and a connection that is something different than regular siblings
have. It’s not that they are polar opposites or exactly the same, but they are
people that just happen to be twins.

Which is how twins should
be written, whether they are identical or fraternal—just as people who happen
to have another person running around who either looks startling similar to themselves
or simply shared a room since before they were born.

***

Meet the author:

Sarah Fluegel is an artist, English major, and art editor at her university’s
literary magazine. She grew up with two older sisters who happen to be
identical twins. When she’s not in class, she spends the rest of her time
trying to keep her dragons from burning down her university.

Let’s
chat! Be sure to give Sarah a warm welcome! Who are your favorite sets of twins
in fiction? What are your (least) favorite twin tropes?

Sunday, December 17, 2017

So you think you’re ready to publish your story? Or maybe
you’re not there yet. Maybe you’re just looking for an editor. Did you know
even editors like the manuscript as polished as possible? (Deep down, we’re all
lazy human beings…) Have you considered having a critique partner go over your
story?

What is a critique partner, you might ask? Well, they’re
usually fellow writers who can look at your story objectively. Not to be
confused with editors or beta readers (who look over more polished drafts and have fewer
responsibilities), critique partners have the mindset of a writer and are there
to help you improve the structure and logic of your story. Here are just a
couple of facts writers should know about critique partners, whether they’ve
had them before and need a reminder or in case they’re considering taking some
on.

1)Critique
partners do not have an initial emotional connection to your story.

For many writers, their story is like their child. Critique
partners, usually other writers, are like teachers. If they don’t like one
element of the story, many writers may take it as a personal attack. Please
allow me to set something straight. Dear writer, your story is not a human being. You’re going to be
okay even if somebody doesn’t like it.

Instead of treating critiques like a personal attack on your
favorite pet, treat critiques like an editing exercise. Yes, it’s hard. No, I
don’t have it mastered. When I’ve been getting critiques on my story, I often
have to take a step back and remind myself it’s not a personal attack. It’s an
exercise to build and improve my story. Sure, I vent to one or two of my writer
friends if there’s a particular issue troubling me, but I can’t let it rule me.

Don’t let somebody’s critical comments rule you.

2)Critique
partners don’t like to read first drafts.

Perhaps one of my favorite pieces of writing advice is to
write your first draft just for you. Keep it secret. Keep it safe. Hone your
story through at least one round of rewrites and edits. Then you can burn the
original if you want.

You get back what you put in. If you don’t put a lot of
effort into at least making your story readable, your critique partners aren’t going
to put a lot effort into commenting let alone reading.

3)Critiques
are subjective.

Did you know, critique partners are human too? That means
their word is not always law. Take what you need, leave what you don’t.

It’s like any book review. Take your top books for example.
Maybe you gave it 5/5 stars, but you’ve seen a lot of 4/5-star and 3/5-star
reviews, maybe even some 2/5 stars. It’s even more difficult when such a review
comes from a friend or family member. How could they not obsess over the same
book you do!?

Remember, everybody has their own opinions, likes, and
dislikes. I don’t like romance, but that doesn’t mean all romance books are
poorly written. They’re just not my preference.

So if you receive comments about how your critique partners
didn’t like a certain element, it might
be the reader.

4)At
least two critique partners are optimal.

A second opinion is great. A third opinion is better.
Remember how I mentioned that critique partners are human too? Even they can
miss things. Maybe your first partner is great at identifying character
development and points out inconsistencies. But the second partner points out
how you skipped over Sunday or that your protagonist hasn’t eaten in 48 hours.

Having more than two people look over your story can give
you some well-rounded commentary.

But…

5)More
partners doesn’t always mean better.

Wait a second, didn’t I just claim at least two partners are
good? True. But, if you have two or more people in a room, you’re going to have
some disagreement. Try putting ten people in a room. Or twenty. Then ask them
what they’re favorite color is and try to figure out why it’s not the same as
yours.

The same goes for your novel. You want to have as many well-rounded opinions
as you can get, but you have to stop somewhere. The necessary number of
critique partners can differ from story-to-story, but I would recommend two or
three. After all…

6)Critique
partners might even disagree with each other.

Because I live in Europe, it’s hard to find fellow writers
who speak English and have time to look over my stories. So I joined an online
critique group, Critique Circle, where you can get feedback on your story and
give feedback in return. And I was so excited for complete strangers to tell me
what they thought. Until they started contradicting one another.

One reader would enjoy a particular chapter, saying they
liked the description and the thought while another person would say they were
bored. Wait, what? How was I supposed to make a story better if one person was
happy with the chapter and another person was bored?

But such critiques were helpful. They taught me how to
improve my story even more, identifying the weak bits and building on the
strong ones.

I also learned that when two partners who tend to disagree
with each other actually agree that something needs work, I better listen!

7) In the end, it’s still your story they’re
commenting on.

You can’t please everybody. While it’s important to consider
others’ opinions to build and improve your story, it’s still your story. No story is perfect. So you might as well write the story for you. After
all, who else is going to read it over and over again until they want to set it
on fire? If you enjoy your story, you’re less likely to do so.

Remember why you started writing your story. Keep the
essence if it’s important to you. Tell your
story. The world is waiting to read it!

Let’s chat! Has your story been reviewed by any critique
partners yet? How do you find them? Do you hunt them down in your local library
and bribe them with chocolate or do you find them lurking in the woods?

Looking for a critique partner for your story? Look no more!
Join a critique website or comment below if you want me to look over your story.
Check out my Treasured Books page for a list of books I consider
excellent. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Welcome back to my mini-series, Controversy in Fiction. Each post can be read separately and in no particular order, as each one
explores a different topic. This week, I’ll be discussing diversity (particularly
racial diversity) and its place in fiction.

Originally, I wasn’t going to write about this topic because
it intimidates me. Racial tension is such a drastic political issue in the
United States right now that I find myself wanting to curl up with a book in a
corner and pretend it doesn’t exist.

Seriously, how can people hate each other so much? It breaks
my heart.

Then I found myself picking up more racially diverse books,
from Outrun the Moon and Young Fu Of The Upper Yangtze to The Help and The Hate U Give. And I realized that since I’m writing a series on
controversy in stories, I couldn’t be silent, even if I end up in a
disagreement. Silence is a statement of sorts. So here goes. Brace yourself!

Disclaimer: This post may contain controversial
opinions that are not necessarily the same as those of readers. While my
personal experiences come from a Caucasian perspective, I have done my best to
remain objective and mean no offense. Similarly, I do not claim to know
everything, but I have done my best to present each argument with dignity and
respect.

Having traveled throughout my life, I don’t know how a
stereotypical white person is supposed to act. I don’t even know how your
typical American is supposed to act. After all, I take my shoes off in my house
like the Germans and the Japanese; I wear my hair down like the Hawaiians; I
collect tea and look right before crossing the street like the English; and I
am obsessed with recycling like the Europeans.

Then as an introvert, I wonder, “How do I even people?!”

Okay, so I’m being a little dramatic. But having been raised
in a military culture and having lived overseas for a good portion of my life,
I’m not familiar with the average
American’s life. But I still thoroughly enjoy culture! I like figuring out
where people come from; I strive for the overcoming culture shock; and I enjoy
learning about cultural dos and don’ts.

Throughout my life, my main influences have been my faith
(Christianity), my family (the military community!), and my books (mostly
fiction). And books can be seriously influential. They can help you to see
things from another person’s point of view. Words are a powerful thing!

What do I mean when I
say a book is diverse?

Diverse books tend to represent racial minorities,
particularly but not limited to those in the United States. To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn are two good examples
of diverse—and often banned—books. But diverse books, particularly ones
that are released today, are not limited to historical fiction. Diverse books
come in many forms, from historical fiction to contemporary, and from
science-fiction to fantasy. Likewise, these books feature various people groups,
from the black community to the children of immigrants.

Today, the publishing industry is bursting with diverse
books. It’s one of THE things to be
writing and reading. While the publishing rage for diversity in fiction may not
last forever, the books themselves shall remain and continue to be published.

Argument: Diverse Books
Represent Minorities

Racially diverse books can give readers from that race
characters to look up to and relate with.

Likewise, books in and of themselves can be so enlightening.
Not only can they be a means of travel, taking you to places you’ve never been,
but they can also be a means of communication, bringing you voices you’ve never
heard before. Or maybe you have heard such voices before, but you want to
understand them better. Books can help you do that.

The Hate U Give, set
in contemporary America, reminded me that our justice system is biased. Inside Out & Back Again, historical
fiction,taught me about immigration
from Vietnam to the States and what it can be like for a child. Young Fu and the UpperYangtze, historical fiction, taught me
what life was like in the city in China during the 1920s. I could go on.

Reading racially diverse books is important because it can
help readers break out of their comfort zone of things they understand. Aside
from learning from the culture itself, what better way is there to research
another culture than to read about it?

Argument: Forced
Diversity Can Be Unrealistic

Diversity can be important, yes, but it’s not always
accurate. Not every town you visit will have a diverse community. Some cities
are more diverse than others. While small towns tend to have fewer differences,
larger cities tend to have more diverse people groups.

So when it comes to fiction, not every story can represent
racial diversity.

One summer, my friend Faith and I went to see Les Miserables in London. Although not a
story known for its diversity, the role of Fantine was played by a woman who
appeared to have Asian ancestry. Did you know, in the book, Fantine is blonde —like
her daughter Cossette? But I fully support the casting decision. In theater and
films, the best roles should go to the best actors—or in musicals, to the best
singers.

An ethnically accurate cast of Les Mis, on the other hand, would feature only French actors and would
not be performed in English. Plays
like Les Mis can be like movies in
the sense that they are mere interpretations
of the books. Yes, they’re best understood and grasped in their original
language and form, but when it comes to adaptations, the part of the characters
should, generally speaking, go to whoever can portray it the best, regardless
of race.*

*Exceptions should be made for characters who, canonically,
represent minorities. But I digress. I’m writing about books.

Argument: Diversity
in Books Can be Offensive

Racial diversity can be a tricky thing to handle.

Not only are racially diverse books offensive to racists,
but these books might also offend those who are the subject of such racism. Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird have been banned
at one time or another for their use of the n-word, despite the way their
authors actually portrayed racism as an issue rather than an ideal.

Then there’s the whole issue of fighting racism with racism,
which doesn’t make a lot of sense, if you ask me. Not a lot of people actually
talk about it (probably because it’s not politically correct), but racism isn’t
strictly a white-vs-black issue. It’s a human
issue. So whenever people decide to blame all racism on Caucasians for the acts
of others or for the acts of their ancestors, that’s when I remember to take
the advice of Leslie Burke to heart:

“You are who you are—not your parents.” (Bridge to Terabithia)

Argument: Diverse
Books Can Improve Empathy

“You never really understand a person until you consider
things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk
around in it.” (Atticus, To Kill a
Mockingbird)

Racially speaking, I’m not among any minorities, unless you
count that tiny percentage of Native American going who-knows-how-many
generations back. (My siblings got the good gene on that one: they tan; I
burn.) So I can’t speak from the perspective of an American minority unless you
throw me into a city or state where Caucasians are sparse.

I may not be a member of a minority, but I know what it’s
like to feel like the odd-one-out. I may not be an immigrant, but I know what
it’s like to live in a foreign culture. It’s so easy to relate with characters
in books. And even if I can’t relate to a character, at least I can empathize
with them. So when it comes to fiction, don’t just tell me I don’t understand a
certain perspective. Help me understand. I’m listening.

If all the books were told from the same perspective, the
world would be a pretty boring place. But it’s not! I’m all for diverse books.
The more the merrier. When I pick up a book written from another person’s
perspective (basically any book, really), it’s a risk, yes. But it’s a risk
worth taking.

Let’s chat! What’s your take on diverse books? What are
three diverse books you’d recommend? Do you have a particular perspective you
like to read about, or do you enjoy them all?

If you happened to miss my last book giveaway—good news!—
I’m running another. Tis the season for books. If you want to get in on this
special offer, be sure to sign up for the Word Storm Newsletter! (And
check out my post on Last of the Memory Keepers: the Five Races.) My next newsletter comes out this Friday (Dec.
15, 2017), and I’ll be giving away a signed copy of Last of the Memory Keepers along with a desert rose. Aren’t they
pretty?*

Sunday, December 3, 2017

No, I did not misspell snowfall. The title is Snowfell on purpose. I like the thought of a quaint little town in the mountains, slick with a layer of ice, covered in a layer of snow, and dusted with another layer of loose flakes. Where its citizens bundle up in fur coats, sporting long scarves and colorful berets. This place is, unfortunately, fictional. But I did draw from some elements of a European winter. And I can dream.

Based off the latest snowfall in my own little town, the following poem features an early winter.

Snowfell

The crunch of snow underbootis quite unlike the rub ofsome cotton ball, though they bothsend a shiver down my spine.

Her aroma tickles mynose, her pale flakes make me sneeze;some breeze whirls the strays like grainsof sand on this lived in land.

Mistletoe hangs green on thesebare branches now cradling white blankets, green parasites,like some love is born of death.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

I admire characters who can spew forth witty dialogue,
characters who are dashing and brave, but I’m still drawn to those who don’t
know how to handle social interaction. As an introvert with a touch of social
anxiety, I can totally relate. Seriously, I’d rather deal with a 2,000-pound
horse, a dragon, or a bookshelf, than a 140-pound human being.

When it comes to a lot of socially awkward characters, I
want to shout, “My people!” Then go stand by them awkwardly, pull out a book,
and read in silence until I can work up the courage to make eye contact.

Why cinnamon roll, you might ask? For those unfamiliar with
this term, such characters are precious and fun and must be protected at all
cost.

Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit

Bilbo: *as four dwarves start rearranging his
kitchen, his doorbell rings again* Oh no. No. There’s nobody home! Go away, and
bother somebody else! There’re far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is.
If this is some cluthead’s idea of a joke, I can only say, it is in VERY poor
taste!*He opens the door, and eight dwarves fall in a heap in
front of him*(The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey)

Bilbo Baggins is a homebody. He likes the comforts of a good
book, his armchair, and his garden. But he’s also an adventurer who relishes the
excitement of the road, which he gets from the Tookish side of his family. In
many ways, I can relate. Like Bilbo, I enjoy a good cup of tea with some peace
and quiet, and often it takes another person, not necessarily a party of
dwarves, to drag me out of the house.

Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon

Gobber: See, now this right here is what I'm talkin’
about!Hiccup: It, it... mild calibration issue, I...Gobber: Don’t you... no, Hiccup! If you ever want to
get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all... this. *gestures to all
of Hiccup*Hiccup: But you just pointed to all of me!Gobber: Yes! That’s it! Stop being all of you!(How to Train Your Dragon)

Hiccup is awkward when it comes to conversations and
handling himself. Yet he’s brilliant at engineering, having been an apprentice
to a blacksmith. That and he’s empathetic, willing to take the time to
understand dragons while everybody else just wants to kill them. He’s both
relatable and admirable.

My sister and I recently re-watched the first movie, and I
realized how resilient Hiccup is. How many characters could take such a slew of
insults from friends and family and still want to save them? Then again, he is
a Viking. They have stubbornness issues.

Auri from The Kingkiller Chronicles

“She felt the panic rising in her then. She knew. She knew
how quickly things could break. You did the things you could. You tended to the
world for the world’s sake. You hoped you would be safe. But still she knew. It
would come crashing down and there was nothing you could do right. And yes. She
knew she wasn’t right. She knew her everything canted wrong. She knew her head
was all unkilter. She knew she wasn’t true inside. She knew.” (The Slow Regard of
Silent Things)

Auri isn’t quite like the other characters in The Kingkiller Chronicles, as she lives
underground and isolated from most of humanity. The protagonist of the main books,
Kvothe, theorizes that she was a former student at the University and the
stress drove her to madness, but her backstory isn’t definite. She’s a little
eccentric but rather sweet, believing that many objects have their own
personalities, thoughts, and place in the world.

Gil from Pandora Hearts

Now I’m really getting obscure! But I can’t help but mention
one of my favorite characters from a graphic novel series I’ve gotten into
lately. Gil likes his personal space, but he’s incredibly devoted to protecting
his friends and his master, ensuring their safety and happiness. Unlike Hiccup,
he knows how to carry himself, but he doesn’t know how to handle a bunch of
girls fawning over him at a social event. It’s kind of adorable.

Other notable Socially Awkward Cinnamon Rolls include Newt
Scamandar from Fantastic Beasts and Where
to Find Them, Barry Allen (The Flash) from Justice League, Caitlin from Mockingbird, Peter Parker from the Spider Man movies, and Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might have
guessed I like to categorize things. If this is your first time here, surprise!
I like to organize, to categorize, to figure out how things work. Such
categories apply to character too. (This year I even started a collection of
some of my favorite character types.)

The only problem with categorizing characters is that
they’re supposed to be like people, and if you’ve ever met one, you may have
discovered people are hard to put in a box. Trust me, I once tried to put my
sister in a box, but she did not like
that. I even hid in a box, but within the first ten seconds, I was getting
awfully sweaty. Okay, so you can put an actual person in a box, but they don’t
belong there. Moral of the story: you can’t always categorize characters.

Today, I’m here to write about the difference between
developing a character and assigning them a role.

I did something different when I plotted out my last novel. Instead of going with notecards to plot out my story—which is incredibly time
consuming to say the least—I wrote out the plot in a notebook. I discovered the
plot and the characters as I went along and because I was writing everything
down instead of typing it up, I discovered my characters as they appeared in
the story rather than throwing them in there.

This gave each character a little more freedom to be
themselves. One character turned out to be a bookworm who lugged around a
backpack full of books, and another turned out to be obsessed with coffee and
music. Come to think of it, I don’t think I labeled any of my characters
“villain”, and I definitely didn’t include “love interest” in my plotting like
I usually do. That isn’t to say these types of characters didn’t appear in the
story, but that I allowed them to establish their personalities before they
revealed their roles. It was as much of a discovery process for me as it should
be for readers.

Character
Development: What is it, and why do writers need it?

“Who are you?” “No one of consequence.”

“I must know.”

“Get used to disappointment.”

(The Princess Bride)

Character development is the way writers make their
characters seem more human. Writers give their characters dreams and
aspirations, heartbreak and vices just like in real life. Typically, the best
developed characters are the protagonists and their allies, but you’ll
occasionally come across a well-developed villain.

Writers need character development because it helps readers
connect to the story. If a character is poorly developed or “flat”, readers
won’t care about them.

Have you ever connected with a piece of paper?

How about a paper airplane, each crease pressed by the
fingers of a five-year-old who dreamed of flying?

Which example did you connect with? You can make people care
about your story if you take the time to choose the right words.

There are many ways to get to know your characters, and
they’re not unlike getting to know people. You have their appearance and
general small talk questions—their name, hometown, age, etc. Then you have my
personal favorites, the deeper questions—their philosophies, passions, and motivations.

Some people like to jot down the basics, and others like to
interview their characters, asking them questions they can answer for
themselves. Personally, I like to throw my characters into a situation and see
how they react. Maybe they’ll freak out, maybe they’ll strike up a
conversation, or maybe they’ll turn into a dragon and blast somebody with fire.
It’s a tossup.

Character Roles:
Again, what is it, and why use it?

“‘Inkheart.’ Fenoglio
rubbed his aching back. ‘Its title is Inkheart
because it’s about a man whose wicked heart is as black as ink, filled with
darkness and evil. I still like the title.’” (Inkheart)

Most stories have a protagonist and an antagonist, at least
when it comes to adventure stories. Identifying these characters typically
isn’t too hard. But a well-developed character should transcend character roles
and their stereotypes. Not all protagonists (the main character) are heroic,
and not all antagonists are villainous.

The difficulty with categorization comes if one considers
the adage “each character is the hero of their own story.” In other words, when
writing characters, writers shouldn’t just treat one character like the love
interest and another like the villain. If characters are to seem more human,
they should be treated like people, not chess pieces.

To Steal Walk
in a Character’s Shoes

“Don’t judge a man until you have walked two moons in his
moccasins.” (Walk Two Moons)

Funny story, in my latest novel, I actually stole my main
character’s shoes wrote a couple chapters where she had to go barefoot.
Writers, even if your character has to go without shoes, put yourself in their
place and try to understand their perspective. I’m not saying your protagonist
has to think and act exactly like you, but it’s always interesting to get into
the heads of your characters. Once you establish who your character is and what
they think about, it’s a lot easier to write about them.

Who before what.

“I’m Agatha Jordan.” “What does that mean? Who are you?” I’m the daughter of divorcees, a part-time mechanic, and a high school graduate who has no idea what to do with her life. Who am I? I don’t even know. But I’m not about to say that. (Just Breathe)

When I took journalism in college, they taught us when
conducting an interview to focus on “The Five W’s and an H”, also known as who,
what, when, where, why, and how. When it comes to developing your characters,
whether or not you choose to conduct a character interview, make sure you
establish who your character is before that what role the character plays. Just
as the who comes before the what in the Five W’s and an H, so the development
should come before assigned roles.

Give your characters a chance to be human before you try to
shove them into a box. Focus on writing about people. Supersede stereotypes.
And your characters just might surprise you and
your readers.

Let’s chat! Which do you work on first, character
development or character roles? How do you develop your characters? Do you
interview them or just jot down the basics? Which is your favorite character
type to write about?

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